Hogwarts’ John Wick

Chapter 536 536: 536: The H*rny Erumpent

In the middle of Central Park lay a large frozen pond.

Quite a few children were skating there.

Falling over was inevitable when skating.

After one boy slipped and fell, another hurried over to help him up.

At that moment, a streak of light appeared beneath the ice, leaving the children staring in shock.

…

Before they reached Central Park, Newt walked side by side with Jacob, carrying his case.

The shops around them displayed expensive jewelry, gleaming from behind glass cases, each piece flaunting its irresistible allure.

Neither of them paid any attention to it, chatting as they walked.

They talked about Jacob's job at the cannery, and how his attempt to open a bakery with a loan had failed.

Newt learned that, like his own brother, Jacob had once fought in the First World War.

Jacob, in turn, learned that while he had been serving, Newt had been dealing with dragons on the Eastern Front, the kind everyone talked about, except the one Newt encountered was even bigger.

"That was the largest dragon I've ever seen. I still don't know what species it was," Newt remarked.

As they talked, they grew closer, like friends.

Suddenly, Newt stopped.

He noticed a glittering earring lying on the hood of a car.

His gaze shifted downward. On the pavement leading to a diamond shop window, numerous diamonds were scattered across the ground.

He exchanged a glance with Jacob. Carefully following the trail of diamonds, Newt tiptoed past the display window.

He suddenly froze, then slowly stepped back on his toes.

His gaze shifted toward the window, more precisely, inside it.

Where a necklace should have been displayed, a Niffler stood with its arms raised, several diamond necklaces draped over them.

It had disguised itself as a jewelry stand.

A necklace slipped from its arm, hitting the surface below with a crisp clink.

Staring at the poorly disguised Niffler, Newt's eyes widened in disbelief.

Sensing his gaze, the Niffler slowly turned its head.

Their eyes met.

They stared at each other for a few seconds.

Then the Niffler decisively turned and ran.

Newt pulled out his wand, shattered the glass, and rushed inside, grappling with the Niffler.

Jacob was startled, left standing outside in a panic, anxiously looking around.

He wanted to remind Newt that this was illegal.

Inside the diamond shop, the struggle grew intense, even the chandelier crashing down with a loud shatter.

The Niffler scrambled up and darted across several display shelves.

In the end, both man and Niffler climbed onto a jewelry case.

Unable to bear the weight, the case toppled over and slammed into the glass.

The clasp of Newt's case sprang open, and from within came a bone-chilling roar.

"Shut up!"

Another voice rang out, and the terrifying sound from before vanished instantly.

…

Inside the case.

The Nundu tried once again to break free.

But this time, John didn't indulge it. He fixed his gaze on the creature.

A crushing pressure pinned the Nundu in place, a lethal threat hanging over it like the Sword of Damocles.

With two apex beings confronting each other, the other magical creatures didn't dare act out.

The Nundu paced back and forth, its eyes locked onto John.

A dangerous growl rumbled from its throat.

"Shut up!"

A surge of draconic pressure burst forth like a breaking dam, crashing down upon the Nundu.

John's eyes turned into vertical slits, but they were not those of a dragon.

They were… those of a serpent. The Serpent King, to be exact.

Petrification.

The Nundu's body stiffened, then slowly collapsed.

John blinked, and his eyes returned to normal.

He walked up to the Nundu and poked its body.

"Not dead," John let out a sigh of relief.

Paralyzed by the serpent's gaze, the Nundu lay completely immobile. John lifted his head and glanced at the sky.

The commotion outside was getting rather loud.

He shifted back into his dragon form, his towering body looking down over everything.

…

Jacob stepped forward nervously and carefully fastened the latch.

The moment it clicked shut, the already fragile glass shattered, and both man and Niffler tumbled out onto the street.

The Niffler reacted faster, scrambling away at once.

"Accio!"

Newt immediately cast a Summoning Charm, pulling both the Niffler and all the jewelry it had stuffed into itself toward him.

Just before being caught, the Niffler grabbed onto a streetlamp, swung around it, and launched itself toward another pane of glass.

This time, Newt wasn't about to let it escape. He cast a spell that turned the glass into a jelly-like substance, causing the Niffler to stick to it.

Panting, Newt said, "There. Happy now?"

The Niffler had left the place in complete chaos, and the sound of sirens rang out.

Police cars screeched to a halt, leaving skid marks as armed officers jumped out.

"They ran that way, officers!"

Jacob tried to draw the police away.

The officers looked at the two of them, both covered in gemstone necklaces, with expressions that clearly said, Are you kidding me?

At that moment, a lion appeared at the end of the street.

Newt glanced over, stuffed the Niffler into his coat, and said with a smile, "You know, New York really is interesting. Much more than I expected."

Taking advantage of the officers' distraction, he grabbed his case, seized Jacob's hand, and the two Disapparated.

When the police turned back, there was no one left.

Shaking off the pursuit, the two hurried toward Central Park.

With the Niffler caught, they still had two magical creatures left.

As they passed a bridge, a sprinting ostrich nearly crashed into them.

A deep rumbling sound echoed from the distance.

Newt handed Jacob a Quidditch Keeper's helmet. "Put this on."

"Why do I need to wear this?"

Newt looked at him and said something that sent chills down his spine. "Because under strong external force, your skull can be very easily cracked open."

Jacob nervously put on the helmet.

The deeper they went into Central Park, the more certain they became that magical creatures were nearby.

The zoo in Central Park was already half empty, with many sections of its outer walls destroyed.

Rubble was piled up at the entrance.

The lion from earlier had most likely escaped from here.

A deafening roar echoed through the air. Not taking any chances, Newt pulled out another piece of protective clothing and handed it to Jacob.

"Here, put this on as well."

Clearly, when facing an Erumpent in musth, even a slight graze could be fatal for such a fragile Muggle.

Jacob didn't refuse. He had already spotted the massive creature cornering a poor hippopotamus against the wall.

"With this, you absolutely won't need to worry about anything anymore."

"Tell me, when you say people don't need to worry, has anyone ever actually believed you?" Jacob looked at the huge beast, then down at his own small frame. You're sure this thing works?

Newt shrugged. "My philosophy is that worrying just means suffering twice."

Strangely convincing. Jacob found himself unable to argue.

An Erumpent in musth was extremely dangerous.

The creature, with a massive horn on its head and a body like an oversized, rotund rhinoceros, was currently attempting to mate with a hippopotamus barely a fifth of its size.

The hippopotamus was terrified, too frightened to move.

This was a female Erumpent.

Newt took out his secret weapon, a vial of Erumpent musk.

He dabbed a bit of the pungent liquid onto his hands, preparing to begin his performance.

Jacob only needed to stay outside and watch.

Newt set the case down and opened it beside him.

The problem was that Newt's imitation of the Erumpent's courtship dance was rather… difficult to watch, making Jacob avert his eyes.

But it was effective. The Erumpent abandoned the poor hippopotamus.

Turning around, it began rolling in imitation of Newt's movements.

And this rolling was exactly what Newt had hoped for, bringing it closer and closer to the open case.

Jacob brought the Erumpent musk closer to his nose and gave it a sniff.

He didn't notice that behind him, a seal tossed a fish into the air.

Unfortunately, the fish struck Jacob. The uncapped vial of Erumpent musk jerked, spilling all over him.

The wind shifted. Just as the Erumpent was about to enter the case, it caught the scent and immediately turned, fixing its gaze on Jacob.

Compared to Newt's scrawny frame, Jacob's rounder build was far more appealing to the Erumpent's tastes.

Jacob turned to glare at the guilty seal.

The seal slapped its body against the ground and shamelessly scurried away.

Umm.. well.. Turning back, Jacob saw the aroused Erumpent and realized what was about to happen.

Newt also inwardly cursed, sensing trouble.

The Erumpent charged straight at Jacob. Years of experience on the battlefield kicked in, and he reacted instantly.

Turning around, he let out a scream and ran in the opposite direction.

Newt hurried after him, only to see the two of them dash onto the frozen pond.

But the Erumpent's massive weight was far more than the ice could bear, causing it to crack beneath them.

Newt had just taken out his wand when it was snatched away by a baboon that came out of nowhere.

He had no choice but to go after it and retrieve his wand first.

Meanwhile, Jacob was driven up a tree, clinging to it for dear life.

Below him, the aroused Erumpent rolled over, kicking its legs in the air in a bizarre attempt to entice him.

When Jacob refused to come down, the Erumpent stood up again and charged at the tree, driving its horn into the trunk.

Scalding liquid churned inside the tree, blasting the thick trunk apart.

Jacob fell, rolling down a steep slope before landing on the frozen lake.

The Erumpent chased after him. Jacob scrambled to his feet and ran across the ice.

The Erumpent kept slipping as it pursued him. Newt finally managed to retrieve his wand and caught up.

Unfortunately, he fared no better, slipping repeatedly on the ice.

He Disapparated onto the lake's surface and opened his case.

The Erumpent slid forward, its legs flailing wildly, and its not-so-small tail lashed out, striking Newt.

The case flew out of his hands, and Newt was sent sliding across the ice, his wand dropping onto the frozen surface.

Looking up, he saw the case slide to a stop near the Erumpent, while he himself was far away.

And the Erumpent, relentless as ever, continued its pursuit of Jacob.

Jacob slipped and fell with a scream, about to be crushed under the Erumpent's massive body.

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